Noida:

After the Noida Police, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) will now take forward the investigation into the case involving YouTuber and former Bigg Boss OTT winner Elvish Yadav and his eight associates for organising a rave party in Noida, where snakes and snake venom were reportedly found.

The Noida Police have already submitted a 1,200-page charge sheet in the court naming Elvish Yadav and his associates as accused. The police also submitted electronic evidence, a forensic report, besides the statements of 24 witnesses in the case.

The ED will now collect information related to this case from the Noida Police and take the investigation forward with the help of the evidence recorded in the charge sheet.

The Noida Police have also sent the mobile phones of Elvish Yadav and two other accused to the forensic laboratory for examination.

The ED is likely to question Elvish Yadav soon, sources said.

According to police sources, the three phones that have been sent to the forensic lab contained videos and chats related to rave parties and the use of snake venom.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Noida:

Noida Police on Wednesday arrested two associates of YouTuber Elvish Yadav over its probe into suspected use of snake venoms as recreational drugs in parties, officials said.

The arrest of the duo comes close on the heels of the police arresting Elvish Yadav on Sunday after questioning him in the case.

The duo’s name had not featured in the original FIR, lodged at the Sector 49 Police Station in Noida on November 3, but their links in the case surfaced during the investigation, a senior officer said.

“Those arrested have been identified as Ishwar (50) and Vinay Yadav (25). Ishwar runs a banquet hall in Gurugram while Vinay is a social media influencer and close friend of Elvish Yadav,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Shakti Mohan Avasthy said.

“Both the accused have been booked under the same charges as Elvish Yadav, which include the consumption of drugs, organising such parties and trafficking of wildlife species,” Avasthy told PTI.

Elvish Yadav, the 26-year-old controversial social media influencer, is currently lodged in the Luksar Jail in Greater Noida and awaiting hearing of his bail please in the local court, according to officials.

He was among six people named in an FIR lodged at Noida’s Sector 49 Police Station on November 3 last year. The five other accused, identified as snake charmers, were arrested in November but are currently out on bail, the officials said.

The case was lodged under provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, Indian Penal Code sections 120B (party to criminal conspiracy), 284 (negligent conduct related to poison that endangers human safety) and 289 (negligent conduct with respect to animals), according to police.

Charges under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act have recently been added in the case.

While Elvish Yadav has refuted the charges of involvement in the case, BJP leader Maneka Gandhi has in the past accused him of involvement in illegally selling snake venom and sought arrest.

The FIR was lodged on the complaint of an official of animal rights NGO People for Animals (PFA). Gandhi is PFA’s chairperson.

On November 4, Elvish Yadav was briefly stopped for questioning by police in Rajasthan’s Kota while he was travelling with his friends in a car but was let off soon.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Bigg Boss OTT winner Elvish Yadav was arrested in the snake venom-rave party case and remanded to 14-day judicial custody on Sunday. Mr Yadav faces a case under the Wildlife Act in Noida for arranging snake venom at rave parties. The 26-year-old YouTuber, who initially denied any involvement in the case, has now admitted that he arranged snake venom at rave parties, said police sources.

What is the case?

The case surrounds the alleged use of snake venom as a recreational drug at rave parties in Noida last year. Mr Yadav is accused of arranging the snake venom at his parties and using snakes in his video shoots.

The police busted a snake smuggling racket in November last year after it raided a banquet hall in Noida Sector 51. Five people, including four snake charmers, were arrested from the banquet hall for supplying snake venom. Nine snakes including cobras and poison were also recovered from them.

A forensic investigation later revealed the use of venom of cobra and krait species in samples seized from there.

The breakthrough came after a trap was laid by an NGO, People For Animals.

A rave party is a vibrant dance party focussed on the youth-oriented rave culture, which often gets into trouble with authorities over drug use and safety reasons.

How Is Elvish Yadav Involved?

Questioned about the snakes in his video shoots, Mr Yadav has told the police those were arranged by Bollywood singer Fazilpuria, sources said.

The five people arrested in the case have told the cops that they used to supply snake venom at rave parties allegedly organised by Elvish Yadav.

Their arrest came after PFA member Gaurav Gupta complained to the police that he had contacted Elvish Yadav for snake venom as part of a trap. During the call, Mr Gupta was given a phone number after which he contacted the five accused, the police said.

Former Union minister Maneka Gandhi too had accused Mr Yadav of involvement in illegally selling snake venom and sought his immediate arrest.

What is snake venom addiction?

Snake venom addiction is an unusual form of substance abuse where individuals intentionally expose themselves to snake venom for intoxication effects. The venom can induce a range of symptoms like intoxication due to the neurotoxins present in it. This form of addiction, also known as ophidism, is extremely dangerous and life-threatening and is not a common practice in India.

The effects of snake venom can be unpredictable and potentially deadly and can last for days. In the long run, it may trigger physical and psychological dependence among users.

The use and possession of drugs, including substances derived from snake venom, are governed by the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act of 1985. But the cops have not invoked the NDPS Act against Mr Yadav as drugs were not found at the spot, according to an official.